It Takes a Community: Palliative Care Where People Are

Date: October 16th, 2025, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Ismaili Centre of Toronto, 49 Wynford Drive  
Cost: $70 Healthcare providers and students, $50 MGH volunteers

Join us for the upcoming 18th Annual MGH Palliative Care Symposium, It Takes a Community: Palliative Care Where People Are, a gathering of healthcare providers, community partners and volunteers exploring how palliative care can meet people’s needs wherever they are⁠–⁠across settings, cultures and stages of illness.

Designed for healthcare providers, community organizations and volunteers, this event will offer practical tools, inspiring stories and opportunities to connect with colleagues and community partners who share your commitment to compassionate care. 

Keynote Address: From Hospital Hallways to Street Corners: Expanding Access to Compassionate End-of-Life Care

Dr. Naheed Dosani is a palliative care physician and health equity advocate committed to improving access to care for people facing poverty, homelessness, and other structural vulnerabilities. He is the Founder and Lead of the Palliative Education and Care for the Homeless (PEACH) Program with Inner City Health Associates, Medical Director of Kensington Hospice, and a palliative care physician at St. Michael’s Hospital (Unity Health Toronto).    Dr. Dosani teaches as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto and is an Investigator with the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, where his research focuses on health system innovation and equity-oriented care. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Medical Association.    A recognized leader in health justice, Dr. Dosani has received numerous awards, including the Meritorious Service Cross for Humanitarianism from Canada's Governor General, the CMA Early Career Leader Award, and most recently the King Charles III Coronation Medal (2025) for his contributions to community health.

This year’s sessions will highlight diverse perspectives and practical strategies, with topics including:

• Palliative care for equity-deserving communities
• Approaches to care for Indigenous communities
• Delivering palliative care in long-term care settings
• Navigating ethical dilemmas at the end of life
• Communication and difficult conversations with patients diagnosed with serious illness

A special feature of the symposium will be Palliative Care Rounds: It Never Gets Easy – Humanizing Difficult Conversations, where healthcare professionals will share their experiences of navigating challenging discussions and reflect on what it means to approach them with empathy and honesty.

All registered attendees will receive free parking, continental breakfast, lunch, and afternoon coffee, as well as a chance to win raffle prizes valued at $800! Giveaways may include experiences, wellness packages and unique gifts.

Getting There

The Ismaili Centre, located at 49 Wynford Drive, is accessible by car, transit or on foot. View location on Google Maps.
For detailed transit, parking, or walking and cycling directions, visit the Ismaili Centre website.

Refreshment Sponsors:

• Moez and Marissa Kassam Equity Fund
• Heritage Funeral Centre
• McDougall and Brown Funeral Home

Vendor Sponsors:

• Baxter Canada
• ICU Medical
• Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine
• Affordable Burials and Cremations
• Proresp
• Home Instead  

RAFFLE Sponsors:

• F45 Upper Beaches
• Community Artist
• Halo Law
• Desjardin Insurance-Amyn Batliwala
• Aga Khan Museum

Presented in partnership with 

Registration

Save the date and join us as we explore how a community approach to palliative care can create more compassionate and accessible care for all. Agenda will be released soon. 

*MGH Staff must log in to iLearn and find the course in your Featured Courses.